Retro-Gaming Machine With Raspberry PI, RetroPie and Homemade Case

Some time ago I found a Linux distribution for Raspberry Pi named RetroPie. I found out immediately that it is a great idea with a great implementation. One-purpose retro-gaming system without unnecessary features. Brilliant.

Soon after, I decided to buy a new Raspberry Pi, on which I wanted to run the RetroPie with some good old games.

I also began to look around for a case. Unfortunately, I didn't like almost any commercial case. They were ugly, overpriced and sometimes even overengineered, in my opinion. On the other hand, I liked some DIY cases which didn't try to copy the look of old consoles. So, I decided to make my own case too. For many reasons, I used a universal project enclosure case as a basis...

Take this Instructable as inspiration and also try to make a retro-gaming machine with a custom case. It isn't too hard and you will be happy about the result. And moreover, it could be a great gift. Think about it...

Step 2: Tools

drill and drill bits. I highly recommend a stepped drill bit (in the picture above) for drilling to a plastic.

sand paper

small files

utility knive and/or small chisels.

hot glue gun

pliers

soldering iron

good quality ("artistic") color markers. I used markers from Winsor & Newton. I chose colors: Mulberry, Cool Gray 1, Cool Gray 2, Cool Gray 3. But you can use whatever you want, of course.

white permanent marker

contact glue. I used common Pattex Contact Glue.

heat shrink tubes

Step 3: RetroPie Installation

What is Retropie? By the author's words:

RetroPie allows you to turn your Raspberry Pi, ODroid C1/C2, or PC into a retro-gaming machine. It builds upon Raspbian, EmulationStation, RetroArch and many other projects to enable you to play your favourite Arcade, home-console, and classic PC games with the minimum set-up.

After flashing is finished, put the card to your Raspberry Pi, connect a monitor and a controller and a power supply. At the first run, the RetroPie system should extend the filesystem to the entire SD card and then RetroPie asks you for configuring the controller.

Select+Start = exit currently running game and return to ES menu (not working for DOSBox, see below...)

Step 6: ROMs and MS-DOS Games

First of all, I have to say that even very old games are still copyrighted, so be aware...

However, many old games are considered as abandonware, because they are technically obsolete and practically unsaleable (or unprofitable). A good instance are games for old computer ZX Spectrum, which you can download for free from sites like spectrumcomputing.co.uk or www.worldofspectrum.org.

There are several ways how to do it. See original manual. If you are running Linux on your PC, then you can also copy ROM files directly to the microSD card.

Tip: Fewer games is more! Don't install entire archives, but only several best games for each system. A large number of games is somewhat depressing.

DOSBox games (for advanced users)

MS-DOS games in RetroPie/Emulationstation are tricky. It is necessary to map controller buttons to the keyboard, create and tune a dosbox configuration file and create a run script for every single game.

Here are steps for game Prehistorik 2:

0) install DOSBox

See step "Emulators".

1) buy Prehistorik 2 from www.gog.com/. Install Prehistorik 2 on your PC first, because you will need unpacked game files.

Now you can connect a LED with a resistor to the GPIO 4 (=Physical pin 7) (see pinout.xyz). As ACT LED I used a 5mm green LED.

Power status LED

I adopted a clever super-simple power status indicator from this tutorial from Zach from howchoo. Just enable the GPIO serial port, then you can connect a LED with a resistor to the GPIO 14 = TX (=Physical pin 8) (see pinout.xyz). As power status LED I used an 8mm red LED.

Attachments

Step 8: Start Planning a Case

As I wrote, I used a universal project enclosure case as a basis. I admit, it isn't as cool as the case made from good quality wood, or well designed 3D printed case, but it can be still acceptable way how to quickly create a good-looking case, in my opinion.

Plan the position of all components. Where to place Raspberry Pi, where to place all connectors, which connectors omit and so on. Take the time, don't hurry.

Step 9: USB Extensions

Because I decided to have two USB connectors for two game controllers in the front and Raspberry Pi in the middle, I needed two short USB extenders. I made them from old USB cables and from a crappy USB hub. See pictures above.

Step 10: Power Adapter Exension

One thing that makes me nervous about Raspberry Pi is the micro USB B power connector. This connector seems to be a bit fragile to me. Therefore I decided to use a common barrel jack 5.5/2.1 and power my retro-gaming machine by 5V power supply with a barrel jack 5.5/2.1 mm.

Step 11: Marking Holes

Specify the position of all components and mark all necessary holes. In my case:

holes for two USB (and holes for screws to mounting small PCB)

hole for barrel jack 5.5/2.1 connector

hole for HDMI coupler

power button hole

two holes for LEDs

four holes for screws to mounting Raspberry Pi

hole for micro SD card slot

ventilation holes (don't forget about them)

Step 12: Making Holes

Make all holes using your trusty tools.

Small chisels were surprisingly useful for making non-circular holes in my case.

Step 13: Soldering LEDs and On/Off Button

Do wiring according to the schematic in the picture above. It shouldn't be difficult.

You can secure all wires with hot glue after soldering.

You probably noticed that the power button (see in the picture above) is soldered to a piece of PCB with wooden spacers. I had to make this workaround, because I chose a button designed for PCB, not a button designed to be mounted to a panel.

Step 14: Placing All Components

Attach all components to the case. I attached every component using a hot glue except Raspberry Pi and USB extenders, which I attached with screws. See pictures above.

Step 15: Decoration

Decorate your case as you wish. Everything is allowed. For example, I drew a top mask on a paper using artistic markers. Then I glued the mask to the case using a contact glue.